READINGS for 2008-06-02

Nora abandoned her baby right after she gave birth. Jenny joyfully adopted him and named him Max.

As Max grew up, it was Jenny who provided for his needs. She took care of him when he was sick, showered him with affection and taught him everything he needed to know.

Max knew that Nora gave birth to him but who do you think he considers his real mother?

My answer would be Jenny.

The story is fictional but it can easily be true. We become who we are not by the titles we acquire but more so by our actions. As Christians, we should not be satisfied with just learning about Jesus but instead, we should be ready to put our faith into action. Cecil Lim

REFLECTION:

There’s a wealth of difference between knowing you’re a Christian and actually living like one.

Lord, may Your example lead me to show my love for others in concrete actions.

God is not stingy the way He apportions His gifts. We need never doubt that He will give us all that is necessary to accomplish His will. However, scholastic theology tells us that His grace works upon nature. For the grace to bear fruit, we have to provide a fertile environment for it to grow and be nurtured. In other words, when it comes to looking at the various fruits our life bears, we have to do our part in cooperation with God’s grace.

2 Peter 1:2-7

2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. 4 Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, 7 devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.

P S A L M

Psalm 91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16

R: In you, my God, I place my trust.

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (R) 14 Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress. (R) I will deliver him and glorify him; 16 with length of days I will gratify him and will show him my salvation. (R)

G O S P E L

We cannot avoid our time of judgment. It is not meant to be something that scares us into doing one thing or another, but it is a reminder that the choices we make have consequences for which we are responsible. This should be enough incentive to avoid sin. However, we should never forget that the true motivation for good works is love of God and neighbor.

Mark 12:1-12

1 Jesus began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. 2 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. 5 He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. 6 He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture passage: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’?” 12 They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

my reflections

think:Sin should be avoided not just because it has consequences, but out of true love for God and neighbor.

I think we have all experienced times when we have spent a lot of energy preparing something for someone else only to find that they chose to do the task another way. It seems they lacked gratitude and have been rude. The situation in the Gospel is a much worse situation than this. Imagine how the owner of the vineyard must have felt when the evil tenants killed his son. The parable is really about the way each of us has neglected to follow the will of God in our lives, and have allowed sin to take over to a large extent. This is not part of God’s plan for us but because of His mercy, He does not condemn us but calls us to repent and refocus our lives on Him.

It is important for us to take the time to reflect upon our lives once in a while, and see whether or not we are being faithful to God’s call. This will give us the chance to repent of our sin if there is any and maybe just simply re-align our life direction if we are not yet in serious sin, but are headed in that direction. As the old saying tells us: An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. So many of our difficulties and trials could be avoided if we spend a little more time honestly reflecting upon the direction of our lives. The challenge we face is one of a disciplinary nature. Can we commit ourselves to something as simple as a daily time of reflection in order to check where we are going?

I am told that if a person can repeat an action for 30 days without missing one day, then he or she is very close to having developed a habit. It sounds easy enough but when you try it, I am sure you will find that it is not that easy. If you miss the 25th day, you start back at one. Let us see if we are able to develop the habit of a daily time of reflection or recollection in order to keep our lives on the path that’s in accordance with God’s will.Fr. Steve Tynan

Reflection Question:

Do I already have the daily habit of reflecting on my life direction? If not, am I willing to try to develop one? I think the effort is worthwhile.

Holy Spirit, help me with Your grace to be committed to examining my life daily, and give me the strength to do what is necessary to keep my life in accordance with God’s will.

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